Rays Hold 11 of the First 75 Picks in Draft

[Youk]

I found this pretty interesting. Besides picking up the Cubs farm system, they will hold 11 of the first 75 picks in the upcoming draft (12 of the first 88). From what I've heard, it's a seriously deep draft. It's a shame that they basically killed their major league talent for this, but at least they're keeping their farm system loaded.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/01/14/rays-will-have-11-of-the-top-75-picks-in-this-years-draft/

[EmpireWF]

This is how they build their team. They won't get the big FA's but they can retool from the ground up.

This is where the scouts make their money.

[Leftwich]

They play in a shitty market and can't afford to get big name players to come to Tampa/St. Petersburg so instead they build through the farm like Empire said. I'd say 5-7 picks will never make it to the big leagues but i'm sure they'll strike gold with at least a few of those picks.

[killgod]

Tampa Bay has it figured out how to compete in the AL East. Won't be every year, but it seems a few down years followed by a 2-3 legit title shots. Rinse, repeat.